The market allows you to find another user on the same role as you to take your place for a shift when you are not able to. The market acts as a bulletin board to advertise and find users who may be interested in taking a shift, swapping a shift of theirs.
Similarly, you can find shifts marketed by others that you may like to take or swap with them.
HosPortal also has a couple of features that encourages and incentivises the marketing and exchange of shifts, such as offering a bounty that could be cash or other offer in kind and gift, without taking a shift in return.
Whether you can access the market and the rules about marketing, swapping and selecting shifts are determined by your roster administrator. Some hospitals do not use these functions and others may allow the market for some roles (e.g. Consultants) or some rosters (e.g. First On-call) but not others.
Terminology
If the market option is enabled for your roster, you can place shifts on the market. Shifts can be either placed as 'swap' or 'gift'. One or both of these may be available at your site or for a particular roster. You may also be able to offer a bounty.
Swap means you will get a shift in return for any shift you offer up. Your roster administrator may allow cross-swaps where you can give a person a shift on one roster, and receive a shift on another roster. Shifts listed as swap are shown with a "blue arrows" icon (see below)
Gift is where you can transfer a shift to another person without taking one in return. Gifts are shown with an orange gift wrapped parcel icon.
Bounty is an offer of an incentive for someone to take or swap your shifts, which could be a monetary amount, or some other offer ('I will walk your dogs for a week'). The bounty is is an arrangement between you and the other person: HosPortal plays no part in this transaction other than to communicate the incentive. Bounties can be applied to gifts and swaps separately. Shifts with bounties are shown with a green dollar sign icon.
An important note about swaps
If you put a shift on the market for a swap, it means any user can swap ANY of their eligible shifts with you, including unattractive ones such as night shift on New Year's Eve. If you think you have received an unfair swap then you should talk to the user who initiated the swap and - if appropriate - arrange to swap it back. This is managed under the rules of common courtesy.
Similarly, if you have a known unattractive shift you are seeking to transfer to another person as part of a swap, it would be courteous to contact the other party first to check.
Place a shift on the market
You can market a shift by clicking it from your User Dashboard. During a self-roster period you can also market a shift by clicking it again once you have made your selection.
When you click on the shift you will see the allowable options depending on the shift, your role and the rules at your facility. Click on 'Put on the market' (A).
You can then select if you want to place the shift as a gift (B) or swap (C). If you select both then the person taking your shift will decide.
If your facility allows bounties, you can optionally include an incentive (D) such as a dollar amount or by writing some other incentive. You can leave either or both blank.
Note that it is up to you and the other party to resolve any bounty incentives between you. HosPortal does not play any part in ensuring that these bounties are enforced.
Click Save once you are satisfied.
Change your market settings
To edit your market settings or remove your shift from the market, for instance if you change your mind, you can:
Click on the shift again from your dashboard. You will have the option to either edit the settings or remove your shift from the market.
Go to the market page and select the relevant shift. You can then edit the settings or can remove the shift from the market (E).
When someone takes your shift
When someone takes a shift you have placed on the market you will get a shift swap/gift confirmation by email in accordance with your communication preferences.
Seeing what shifts are available to take/swap
To see shifts of other users that are on the market for you to take:
They can be shown on your Dashboard in orange
You can search for them on the Market page.
Note that you can only see shifts that you are eligible to do.
You can take or swap a market shift directly from your Dashboard by clicking the shift.
Using the Market page
The market page allows you to search for shifts. For each site you choose (F) you can filter the shifts (G) by:
the name of the roster group
the name of the roster
whether the shift is a gift or swap, and whether it offers a bounty
whether the market shifts are yours or belong to others.
You can also view your shifts at other sites on the market page (H), which may help you to prevent selecting shifts that conflict with other activity at other facilities.
To act on a shift click on it. You will then be shown the available options. If you elect to swap a shift you will be asked to select from appropriate shifts (I) that are allowable under the swap.
